Adjustable sign span support



June 25, 1968 F. G. scHLossx-:R

ADJUSTABLE SIGN SPAN SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 8, 1966 F'IG.

June 25, 1968 F G SCHLOSSER 3,389,882

ADJUSTABLE SIGN SPAN SUPPORT Filed Aug. 8, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'IG-5F' I G. 6

F'IG. 9

/NVENTOR F. G. SCHLOSS/ER By Arron/Vey United States Patent O 3,389,882ADJUSTABLE SIGN SPAN SUPPORT Francis G. Schlosser, Ridgefield Park, NJ.,assignor to faff and Kendall, Newark, NJ., a corporation of New erseyFiled Aug. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 571,071 3 Claims. (Cl. 248-125) ABSTRACT OFDISCLOSURE Sign span supports comprising a pair of posts adapted to besecured adjacent the shoulders or margins of roadways, formed withadjusta'ble interconnecting plate members to hold the posts at the:desired spaced relation and with vertically adjustable clamp supportmembers for adjustment to support the sign span.

This invention relates to adjustable supporting structures for signs,spans and other objects disposed marginally along the highways,including inherent adjustable features such that it may -be stored atstrategic locations by highway departments, contractors and others, andreadily moved to and assembled at the site, in Short order, as and whererequired, to provide essentially uninterrupted service While the damagedstructure is repaired and restored to service. Thus the invention servesan important safety function, avoiding loss of life land property due tothe down time -required for repairs to structures and, providesessentially uninterrupted continuity of service.

Highway accidents and damage due to extreme weather conditions and othercauses frequently result in fracturing of sign and other structureswhich must be maintained along -highways for safety. Heretofore suchdamage often eliminated signs for extended down time required for repairand replacement-a dangerous and ineicient situation. The presentinvention provides a highly adaptable means for prompt replacement ofdamaged and downed sign and other structures and is equally adaptable tostraddle the road or provide roadside replacements, as required, and isadaptable to the needs of the particular installation. Devices embodyingthe invention may be stocked at strategic locations for promptinstallation at' the site of the damage, and are highly versatile toaccommodate signs and other indicia of various contours 4and dimensionsas required. In addition, the versatile features of the invention adaptit for use as original installation. The drawings, illustratingprocedures and devices useful in carrying out the invention, and thedescription below, are exemplary only of the invention, which shall bedeemed to cover all other devices and procedures corning within thescope and purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters indicate likeparts:

FIG. l is a side elevational view of an adjustable sign span supportframe embodying the invention, showing, in dotted lines, span memberspositioned thereon,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, partly sectional plan View of a clamp memberwhich maybe used in connection therewith, taken at line 2-2 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 3 is an elevational, sectional view of said clamp member, taken atline 3 3 of FIG. l,

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view, taken at line 5-5 of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a partly fragmentary, elevational view, showing one of theshafts disposed closer to the other shaft than in FIG. l,

3,389,882 Patented June 25, 1968 ICC FIG. 7 is a horizontal sectionalView thereof taken at line 7--7 of FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is an end elevational view of the clamp member, taken at line 8 8of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the plates alone, takenat line 9-9 of FIG. 6.

As shown in the drawings, the adjustable sign span support of theinvention comprises a pair of shafts 10 and 11 to be secured, `at oneend, to a supporting surface (FIG. 1) as, for example, by securing baseplates 12, 13 to the lower ends of said shafts and the supportingsurface 14 in any desired or convenient manner, after positioning theposts at the desired site in predetermined spatial relation, as belowset forth. The posts are provided with handholes 1S, adjacent the lowerend thereof, closed by a suitable door for access to the interior of theposts in connection with wiring and accessories such as ballast, etc.The wiring is preferably disposed interiorly of the shaft 10 andconnected to underground cables or lthe like passing through the baseplates 12 and into the lower ends of posts, which may be provided withoutlets or plugs 16, so that the wires so positioned in the posts may beconnected with the sign, etc. to be so powered. Plugs 16 may be of anyconventional or desired type and may he normally sealed.

An elongated plate 20 is fixed (FIG. 4) -at one end (as by welding orthe like 21), to shaft 10 to extend therefrom in essentially right anglerelation thereto. An elongated plate 22 is fixed at one end to thesecond shaft 11, as by welding the same thereto at 23, so as tosimilarly extend therefrom in essentially right angle relation. Saidplates 20, 22 :are so xed to the shafts 10, 11 substantially equadistantlthe lower ends 24, 25 of the said shafts (FIG. l) so that said platesmay be relatively moved in aligned parallel abutment and securedtogether by suitable means below described to define a predeterminedspaced relation.

The above description of plate 20 fixed to the shaft 10 is equallyapplicable to other plates correspondingly numbered and secured to saidshaft in vertically spaced relation.

The description herein as to plate 22 is equally applicable to one ormore correspondingly numbered plates secured to shaft 11 in verticallyspaced relation as shown in FIG. l.

As above noted, means are provided for axially adjustably connecting theplates, to thereby connect the shafts in predetermined desired spacedrelation. To that end, one of the plates, such as 20, may be providedwith a plurality of apertures 26 therethrough, and the other plate, suchas 22, may have a group of apertures 27 axially disposed therein sothat, on registry of the plates at the desired point, on passing bolts28 or other means through the so registered apertures 27 and 26, theshafts 10, 11 may be secured together (FIG. 1) with the plates 22 and 20in slight endwise overlapping relation, or (FIG. 7) in substantiallyoverlapping relation. Thus precise juxtapositioning of shafts 10 and 11may be achieved to accommodate the particular frame 40 to be supported.

Clamp members 29 and 30 are secured to the posts in predetermineddesired position between the opposite ends 31, 32, 24, 25 of said posts;ends 31, 32 may have electrical outlets 33, 34 if desired.

It will -be apparent, from the foregoing description, that pursuant tothe invention, the posts 10, 11 may be positioned in a simple andaccurate manner at the predetermined desired spatial relation, toaccommodate the sign or other structure (40, FIG. 1) which may span thedistance between posts 10, 11 and be received on the brackets 29 and 30,clamp members 29 being secured to the posts at precisely the desiredvertical position for supporting the frame 40.

The plate 20 may be made of outwardly opening C-shaped outline (FIG. 9)and the plate 22 of inwardly opening C-shaped outline, said platessliding back to back (FIG. 9) for adjustment of the spatial arrangementof the shafts. A plurality, for example, four bolts 28 may be passedthrough the plates to secure them together, if desired, as shown (FIGS.l, 6).

Clamp members 29, 30 may be single units or a plurality of unitscorrespondingly numbered, and of corresponding construction, as in FIG.l, spaced apart vertically on shafts 10 and 11. Clamp member 29 mayengage clamp member 30 having a base portion 42 to support frame 40 andhaving slots 45 (FIG. 2) through which U-bolts 44 or other anchoringmeans may be passed (FIG. 8) to secure frame 40 to the clamp members andthus to the posts. The collar and base portions 29, 42 may be securedtogether by bolts 4S (FIG. 3). As will be apparent from the foregoing,the horizontal relative spatial arrangement of the posts 10 and thevertical positioning of the supporting brackets 29 may be readilyattained at the site, the brackets being slid along the posts andsecured at the precisely desired positions on tightening bolt or othermeans 45.

A second plate 50 (FIG. 4) may be fixed at one end to the rst mentionedshaft 10 substantially 180 from the plate 20, as by welding the samethereto at 51 and provided with apertures corresponding with aperture 26of the plate 20. Likewise, a second plate 52 may be secured as byWelding at 53 to shaft 11. Plates 50, 52 may be provided with aperturesfor reception of bolts in the fashion above described in connection withthe plates 22 and 20. The second plates 50 and 52 have sliding abuttingintcrengagement (FIG. and are disposed diametrically apart from the rstplates 20, 22 on the shafts 10 and 11 and in parallel aligned relationtherewith and may likewise 'be disposed spatially along the height ofthe posts 10 and 11 as described above in connection with plates 20 and22 and shown in FIG. 1.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that the posts and 11 andassociated parts may be positioned marginally along the shoulder ormargin of a roadway and a second assembly therewith positioned at theopposite side of the roadway if desired to accommodate spans traversingthe road, or a single assembly may be positioned along a single side ofthe road to accommodate frame structures to be so displayed.

While the foregoing disclosure of exemplary embodiments is made inaccordance with the patent statutes, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited thereto or thereby, the inventive scope beingdefined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An adjustable sign span support frame comprising a pair of shafts tobe secured at one end to a support surface, in spaced relation,

an elongated plate xed, at one end, to one of the shafts and extendingtherefrom in essentially right angular relation thereto,

an elongated plate fixed at one end to the second shaft and extendingtherefrom in essentially right angular relation thereto,

said plates being so fixed to said shafts substantially equidistant theends of said shafts, so that such shafts may be disposed with saidplates in registry and in slidable abutment,

means connecting the plates, to secure them together axially adjustablyto thereby provide a support for a sign span,

a second plate fixed at one end to one shaft at a point substantiallydiametrically opposed to the point of securing the first mentioned platethereto,

whereby the plates so secured to said shaft will extend therefrom inspaced parallel relation,

a second plate fixed at one end to the other shaft, at a pointsubstantially diametrically opposed to the point of securing the lirstmentioned plate thereto,

whereby the plates so secured to said other shafts will extend therefromin spaced parallel relation,

and said plates will thereby be so secured to the shafts in slidingabutment.

2. In an adjustable sign span support frame as set forth in claim 1,

said plates being formed of outwardly opening C-shaped outline.

3. In an adjustable sign span support frame as set forth in claim 1,

clamp members secured to the shafts above the plates so secured thereto,

said clamp members having elongated base portions extending atsubstantially right angles to the plane of the post, when the clampmembers are so secured thereto, for so supporting the sign, and

said base portions being provided with elongated slots to receiveanchoring means for so securing signs thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,580,935 4/1926 Vidon 182-1831,581,352 4/1926 Kuen 211-182 X 2,591,049 4/1952 Butsch 211-177 X2,720,414 10/1955 Hart 211-182 X 2,833,421 5/1958 Skubic 211-182 X3,303,936 2/1967 Barnawell 211-177 X FOREIGN PATENTS 741,980 12/ 1932France.

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

